Biltmore pontoon boat

ABSTRACT

A fiberglass pontoon boat, having raised and integrated fiberglass side rails, a flat floor, and a side entry level with the flat floor. Integrated seats are molded in fiberglass. The hull and deck join together by flexing the hull to compensate for opposing draft angles of the hull and deck at the side entry. The deck has a floor and at least one other interior component, and terminates in a deck trim flange. The hull has at least two hollow pontoons and at least two side rails that extend from an outer edge of the pontoons, and the hull terminates in a hull trim flange. When assembled, the hull trim flange operatively engages beneath the deck trim flange to form a unified pontoon boat having a space between the deck and hull and wherein the side rails are integrated as structural parts of the interior component.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 61/636,260, filed Apr. 20, 2012, which is hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety, including any figures, tables, ordrawings.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of pontoon boats. More particularlythe invention relates to a pontoon boat that includes modifications indesign and fiberglass construction with integrated railings resulting infeatures that improve the overall pontoon boat.

BACKGROUND

Pontoon boats are a type of boat that is extremely popular with boaterstoday. Pontoon boats are usually constructed out of aluminum, wood,fiberglass, and upholstery. Historically, they have been a very popularsegment of the boating industry, because they offer features that appealto elderly boaters, or those with limited mobility. The features thatmake them popular to this buying group are a natural bi-product createdby the construction techniques used to manufacture pontoon boats.

Pontoon boats historically have two or more separate hulls that displacewater at the corners of the boat, instead of mono-hull design boats thathave only one hull, or one encompassing waterline to displace the weightof the boat. Pontoon boats get their name from the pontoon hulls thatare made from round tubes rolled out of aluminum. Recently, round hullshapes have been enhanced by the addition of stakes, or even completelynew shapes to improve the hull's performance to create competitiveadvantage.

A key selling point to traditional pontoon boats is the very wideinterior volume of the boat. Since most boats from 16-29 feet are towedon trailers, they are constructed with a maximum legal road width of 8foot and 6 inches. Since all trailerable boats share this maximum width,careful attention is paid to maximize the interior width to establishcompetitive advantage. All of the components of the boat are engineeredto maximize this interior width, which has proven to be a major sellingfactor for pontoon type boats. Traditional fiberglass boats do not offerinterior widths that are comparable to aluminum pontoon boats, due tothe nature of their construction techniques, and the necessary side wallthickness needed to laminate fiberglass.

Due to the increased popularity of the pontoon style boat, additionalfeatures have been added to the boats in the past few years to addcompetitive edge. New furniture styles with improved quality andfeatures, as well as new fiberglass modules that incorporate driver'sseat risers, entertainment and wet bar stations, and ottomans are nowcommonplace in the pontoon industry. As a result, pontoon boats haveincreased in weight over the past few years with the addition of newfeatures and amenities. To offset the additional weight of pontoonboats, manufacturers have recently introduced a third, or center pontoonto help displace the additional weight of the new improvements. This newgenre of pontoon boat is often referred to as a Tri-Toon.

The Tri-Toon has become a very popular segment of the aluminum pontoonboat market; however, increased costs of wood, plastics, aluminum, andvinyl have made them prohibitively expensive to build. Additionally, thetraditional aluminum construction is prohibitive to many of the modernfeatures being pioneered in other segments of the boating industry.

Construction

Pontoon hulls have been developed in aluminum, and some even made out ofplastic or fiberglass. Pontoon tubes are constructed separately from therest of the structure of the boat, and assembled with mounting hardwarethat is usually welded to the tube, giving it a dedicated “top side” towhich the rest of the boat is assembled on top of

Traditional pontoon boats are constructed by securing aluminum crossbeams over the assembled tubes. This creates a grid that forms thefoundation of the pontoon boat, as shown in FIG. 1.

The grid is welded or bolted on top of the pontoon mounts that extend upon top of the traditional round tube. This pontoon mount extends upward,and separates the tube from the bottom of the channels to give extraclearance between the hull's running waterlines.

Floor boards are then secured to the aluminum channels. Floor boards aremost commonly ply wood panels, however, composite plastic floors oraluminum planks can also be utilized. Carpeting, vinyl flooring, ordecorative wood or faux wood planks are then added to complete the deckfloor. The deck floor covers the entire floor plan of the boat, eventhough much of the floor, carpet, vinyl, or decking will eventually becovered by furniture, driver's consoles, and other equipment.

An outer rub rail is secured to the perimeter of the deck floor tofinish it off. Once the deck floor is finished, manufacturers add theside rails, furniture, helm console, and other related components to thedeck of the pontoon boat. Wet bars, galley units, or any other furniturefixture is arranged and secured in place to complete the pontoon boat,as shown, for example, in FIG. 2.

The rails are usually made out of a combination of welded aluminum tubesand aluminum or plastic panels. These construction techniques are veryconducive to maximizing interior width; since the overall width of therails is usually about 1½ inches wide.

Furniture is historically made out rotationally molded plastic bases oraluminum tubes, which are covered with foam and vinyl to create seatingmodules. Aluminum frame, or rotationally molded seat bases areinstrumental to creating comfortable pontoon boats, since the nature ofthe construction allows the seats to be built with a very narrowbackrest section. Aluminum tubes are welded to create seating moduleswhere the backrests are no wider than the aluminum tube. This creates avery narrow backrest, which translates into a wide interior volume;however, the shapes attainable with aluminum construction do not allowaesthetically pleasing shapes. Most pontoon interiors instead rely on arotationally molded mold to create pleasing shapes.

A rotational mold is a two piece cavity tool that is joined tocompletely encapsulate the cavity, filled with plastic pellets, and thenheated to melt the pellets. The tool is then rotated in a large fixturethat uses gravity to evenly distribute the molten pellets into thenarrow spaces of the tool. The narrow distance from the inner and outerbackrest allows the seat module to be built without wasting extra space.This allows a maximum usable interior width, since the seat backs do notintrude into the interior space. Similar seating modules have beenhistorically difficult to construct in fiberglass, since the nature ofthe fiberglass material and its application process needs much largeropenings to manually roll the fiberglass by hand into the cavities. Incomparison, rotationally molded seat bases utilize gravity to flow thematerial into very narrow cavities. Consequently, fiberglass seatingbases have not been competitive, since the large amounts of clearance tobuild the seat backs intrudes into the interior to a large degree,creating limited seating areas.

Helm stations are normally made out of fiberglass or plastic, however,the nature of the construction means that they must be finished on theinterior side of the console, as well as the outer side, which isnormally placed up against the side fence of the pontoon boat. Thiswastes some space, since the outside of the fiberglass sits inside theinner side of the aluminum fence, however, the nature of theconstruction of the typical aluminum construction-pontoon boat preventsany improvement to this design.

Other features such as changing rooms, or on-board restroom facilities,are constructed out of aluminum tubes, furniture, and rotationallymolded bases to create small quarters. Generally, an aluminum fold upframe is enclosed with canvas curtains in order to allow privacy, sincethe changing room's necessary headroom for adults to stand inside(approx 6′ or more) is well above the height of the furniture, whichrarely extends above 3 feet tall. Stepping down past the floor of apontoon boat is very difficult, due to the nature of the wood floor overaluminum channel construction, and the separation of the tubes from thebottom of the deck, so pop up changing rooms are essential in atypically constructed pontoon boat.

Appeal of Traditional Aluminum Pontoon Boats

Because the aluminum and wood pontoon deck is created on a completelyflat platform, the boats appeal greatly to elderly boaters or those withlimited mobility since the floating deck height is usually within inchesof a floating dock that the boat is boarded from. This allows easyaccess to the boat from the dock, since there are no high sides orstructures to step over in order to board the boat from the side.Conversely, traditional fiberglass boats have been built as ocean-goingvessels with careful attention paid to deep hulls that can overcomelarge waves and sea conditions, so they traditionally have high sidesthat extend well above the floor level, making entry from the sides verydifficult.

Additionally, the wood and aluminum deck has no hardware or raised steplike a tall fiberglass hull's bow stem at the front of the boat, sothere are no objects to trip over when boarding directly from the frontof the boat. Entry doors are commonly located at 3 or 4 places on theboat including one or both sides, the front of the boat, and the rear ofthe boat, allowing easy boarding from the dock to the completely flatfloor of the pontoon boat in any situation. Ease of entry for elderlyboaters, or boaters with limited mobility is definitely a major factorin the success of aluminum pontoon boats, over traditional fiberglassboats.

Another appeal of pontoon boat to similar buyers is the stability of thepontoon hull. Conventional pontoon boats, and Tri-toon pontoon boatswith the addition of a center hull, displace water at the outer-mostcorners. Consequently, they are very stable in roll, and they are not assensitive to weight changes at the corners as a traditional fiberglassV-hull design. Because the V-hull design displaces the most water at itsdeepest point which is down at the center of the boat, V hulls have anoticeable tendency to roll, or rock to the side when weight is placedto the side. This design attribute makes the pontoon boat much easier toboard for elderly or limited mobility boaters, because the platform theyare boarding remains stable, and assures solid footing for safe entryand egress.

Improvements Over Traditional Aluminum Pontoon Boats

While the traditional aluminum pontoon boat has many advantages over afiberglass boat, it also has several disadvantages. Due to the nature ofthe aluminum channel floor's construction techniques, it isprohibitively expensive to penetrate the floor, and allow access to anycompartments below decks. Some manufacturers make a special accesshatches in the center of the floor to access small portions of thecenter tube in a Tri-toon design, however, the weakening of thestructural floor caused by the cutting out of the cross channels makespenetrating the floor with large openings difficult. Additionally, sincethe tubes are generally separated from the deck by the raised pontoonmounts; considerable expense must be spent to engineer a water tightchamber to seal off the top of the tube to the bottom of the deck. Theseaccess hatches can only be placed in a specific location on atraditional aluminum pontoon boat, in order to keep the boat sea-worthy.

Since penetrating the floor is prohibitively expensive, it also makesstepping down into a head compartment or changing room difficult.Consequently, changing rooms on pontoon boats are traditionally at theaft section of the boat, and feature pop-up curtains to maintainprivacy, however, marketing research has proven that most buyers ofpontoon boats are not happy with the accommodations offered bytraditional aluminum pontoon boats.

Additionally, boarding ladders are normally found only at the aftplatform of a pontoon boat, since the ladder cannot fold away into afloor penetrating compartment, and therefore must be attached as anextension of the platform. Side and bow boarding ladders would not workin this manner, since they would hang off the side of the boat andextend the maximum width of the boat past it's 8-6″ wide legal limit, orcreate a dangerous extension from the boat's rub rail. The onlyprovisions aluminum pontoon boats have for side or forward boardingladders, are ladders that must be physically removed and storedelsewhere. This type of ladder cannot be retrieved while in the water,and must rely on a second person to assist with the deployment of theladder.

The construction techniques of aluminum pontoon boats also affect theirperformance and efficiency in several ways. First, aluminum tubes, whichare most often round, are not well suited to hydrodynamic efficiency.Consequently, many manufacturers add “chines” or lifting strakes to thepontoon hulls in order to allow them to break the surface of the water,and relieve suction. This second process adds considerable costs to thepontoon manufacturing process. Next, the aluminum cross channelsunderneath the deck of the boat act as water brakes, since they arepositioned at 90′ to the water rushing below. Even small and moderatesized waves will strike the channels on the under-deck, and cause asurging effect that slows the traditional aluminum pontoon whenunderway. Additional aluminum under deck shields that cover the crosschannels are offered by some manufacturers, however, they areconsiderably expensive. Consequently, most pontoon boats are notdesigned for speed, since it is prohibitively expensive to make themperform up to traditional fiberglass boat standards.

Other disadvantages of traditional pontoon boats can be found in theconstruction of the interior. Rotationally molded seat bases generallyhave a “rough type of texture” formed by the rough surface of the cavitytool, and are not aesthetically pleasing to look at. Consequently, mostmanufacturers cover the entire seating assemblies in rich vinyl. Thesevinyls are very expensive, since they are designed to resist the sun'sultraviolet rays; however, they are very sensitive to damage andtearing. In addition, covering the rotationally molded seat bases isextremely inefficient, since the bottom, back sides, and inner edges ofthe seat bases will not be seen, yet they need to be covered completelydue to the nature of the vinyl sewn cover. This leaves only about 35% ofthe vinyl surface visible to the eye.

Similar inefficiencies can be found in the construction of the deck,since over 60% of most pontoon boats floor coverings are covered byseating or other assemblies, even though 100% of the floor level isfinished. This means that only a small fraction of the carpet, wood, andvinyl flooring are utilized, or left available to walk on.

Rotationally molded seat bases also offer several other disadvantages,such as limited access to storage, small storage capacities, and limitedstructural integrity.

It is therefore believed, that this invention can offer considerableimprovements over traditional aluminum pontoon boats by integrating theseat base faces, inner helm station, and inner side railings into thefiberglass deck above the floor level, and integrating the seat backs,interior modules, and side railings into the fiberglass hull. Bydividing the seat bases and interior components into an inner moldedsection, and an outer molded seat back and side railing, the inventionwill solve many issues of interior space utilization, and constructionefficiency that has prevented fiberglass pontoon boats from being fullymolded in Fiberglass.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

Fiberglass construction for use in watercraft is known in the art. Forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,177 discloses a pontoon type boat includinga fiberglass deck and a fiberglass modified tunnel hull. The deckincludes a storage compartment partially formed in the deck of thecraft. The storage compartment has a cover portion capable of beingpositioned flush with the deck of the boat when closed in order toconceal the interior of the storage compartment. However, U.S. Pat. No.5,209,177 shows a deck that is consistent with typical aluminum pontoonconstruction, in that it forms a flat floor base upon which aluminumside rails, and rotationally molded seat bases are added to complete thedeck assembly. Fiberglass has simply replaced the plywood floor, andbeen incorporated into the hull. Additionally, the cover portion of thestorage compartment extends down from its upper surface with fourvertical surfaces, identically to traditional aluminum pontoon boatconstruction. A traditional aluminum side fence is placed on the outsideof the fiberglass console to conceal the console from the outside of theboat.

It is the intention of this invention, to create a new method ofintegrating the outer portions of the seating modules, head modules,helm modules, and other assemblies into the molded hull, in order toallow greater interior space, while integrating several interiorcomponents to increase manufacturing efficiency.

U.S. Pat. No 7,987,803 discloses a pontoon boat with claim 1, whereinthe pair of pontoons is composed of at least one of aluminum,polystyrene, fiberglass, metal, and concrete. Cochran teaches that thepontoons are slidingly, or removably affixed. This differs from thesubject invention, wherein the pontoon hulls are intentionallyintegrated to add efficiencies in the building process, and to utilizethe depth inside the pontoon for interior accommodations.

BRIEF SUMMARY

It is an object of the present invention to construct a pontoon-styleboat out of fiberglass, having raised and integrated fiberglass siderails. Embodiments of the subject invention have a flat floor, from bowto stern and side to side, and a side entry gate that features anentrance level with the flat floor. Preferred embodiments haveintegrated seat bases molded in fiberglass in both the hull and deck.The subject invention also provides a method of joining the hull anddeck together by flexing the hull in order to compensate for theopposing draft angles of the hull and deck at the side entry door.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates a grid that forms the foundation of a traditionalpontoon boat.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view that illustrates various fixtures that can bearranged and secured in place on a traditional pontoon boat.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D show a comparison between the construction of ahull of the subject invention (FIGS. 3A and 3B) and a standard pontoonhull construction (FIGS. 3C and 3D). FIGS. 3A and 3C arecross-sectional, front end views and FIGS. 3B and 3D are exterior sideviews.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E show a comparison between a traditionalpontoon boat with a flat floor and separate furniture modules and siderails (FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C) and a partial view of a pontoon boat of thesubject invention with an extended hull integrated with the back side ofa seat module (FIG. 4D). FIG. 4E is a cross-sectional front end viewshowing how a standard seat module (dotted lines) requires more floorspace than the seats integrated with a deck of the subject invention.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the width (W) required by traditional style,separate seat modules used on standard pontoon boats. Typical moldingtechniques often dictate that the style of seat modules have asufficient draft angle (19). Also illustrated are a typical gel coatspray gun and glass roller used in the manufacture of fiber glasscomponents.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are cross-sectional, front end views that show acomparison between a traditional pontoon boat helm station and seatmodule molded as separate components and mounted to the floor inside theside rails (FIG. 6A) and a helm station and seat of the subjectinvention that are molded as part of the side rails (FIG. 6B).

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate embodiments of an improved method formanufacturing the integrated side rails of a fiberglass hull of thesubject invention at the side entry step to be level with the floor.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of hull and deck joint details.Specifically shown is an embodiment of a “shoebox fit,” wherein the hulltrim flange on the hull is positioned underneath a deck trim flange soas to fit into a knuckle molded into the upper deck.

FIG. 9 illustrates a method of the subject invention for manufacturingan integrated side rail of a fiberglass hull where the side entry stepis located so that it is level with the floor of the deck.

FIG. 10 is a cross-section front end view that illustrates an embodimentof an enclosed step-down head compartment, according to the subjectinvention.

FIG. 11 illustrates a head/quarter pan embodiment of the subjectinvention and shows how it can be used to provide a quarter berth byextending a forward lower enclosure wall within a pontoon.

FIG. 12 shows a stern.-end perspective view of an embodiment of apontoon boat of the subject invention.

FIG. 13 shows a side elevation view of an embodiment of a pontoon boatof the subject invention.

FIG. 14 shows a port side bow-end perspective view of a pontoon boatembodiment of the subject invention.

FIG. 15 shows a port side stern-end perspective view of a pontoon boatembodiment of the subject invention.

FIG. 16 shows a bottom bow-end perspective view of a hull embodiment ofthe subject invention.

FIG. 17 shows a top port side perspective view of a deck of the subjectinvention.

FIG. 18 show a starboard side top perspective view of a deck of thesubject invention.

FIG. 19 shows a cut-away view of a deck to illustrate a helm stationembodiment of the subject invention.

FIG. 20 is a starboard side bow-end perspective view of a deckembodiment of the subject invention.

FIG. 21 is a starboard side stern-end perspective view of a deckembodiment of the subject invention.

FIG. 22 shows a port side stern-end perspective view of a deckembodiment of the subject invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Constructing a pontoon boat almost entirely out of fiberglass requiresnew techniques and methods to correctly mold the associated fiberglassparts so that they fit together when assembled. Since pontoon boats thatare built of aluminum typically utilize furniture components, helmstations components, and side railings that are placed or arranged ontoa flat floor, their construction techniques are fairly simple andstraightforward. Pontoon boats with fiberglass molded hulls and flatfloor fiberglass decks can also be straightforward to build according tothe subject invention, since they too rely on furniture and all similarcomponents placed and arranged on top of the flat floor. In fact, mostinterior components such as furniture, components, side railings, andhelm stations are interchangeable between the two types of boats, andcan be utilized for traditional pontoon boats constructed of aluminum,or molded fiberglass flat floor pontoon boats as well.

Embodiments of the subject invention incorporate the side rails andbacks sides of the seating components, modules, and helm consoles thatare normally bolted or secured to the deck of a traditional pontoonboat, into the hull of the boat. In particular embodiments of thesubject invention, these side rails will also serve the main function ofbeing integrated as the structural back or side of any of a variety ofinterior components (45), such as, for example, seats, and helm modules,and therefore allow these interior components (45) to be built as partof the two larger pieces, each fitted together. The two pieces, formedas unitary structures, can be considered as inner and outer portions,with the outer portions being integrally molded into the hull as onelarge molding, and the inner portion can be integrally molded as onelarge piece with the deck, including the flat floor, as well as, otherinterior components (45) like seats, furniture, consoles, and most otherrelated interior components.

Referring to the figures, it can be seen that FIGS. 3A-D shows acomparison between a standard pontoon construction method of joining theflat deck (02) with a flat floor (01) to the hull (03) (FIGS. 3C and3D), and the construction method of this invention, which incorporatesthe side rails (05) as integrally molded into the hull (06), whichextends upwards on both sides. The side rails extend down to the floor(07) level near the bow of the boat, and near the stern, in order toallow the flat floor entrance at either end, as shown in FIG. 3B. Thefloor (07) of the improved hull and deck of the subject inventionretains a flat profile from bow to stern, and only extends upward tointegrate the furniture and fittings, which are usually located inbetween the forward and aft boarding platforms.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E are cross-sectional views that illustrate acomparison between a traditional pontoon boat with a flat floor (01) andseparate furniture modules (09), for example, rotationally or “roto”casted and/or fiberglass molded seats, and side rails (08) (FIG. 4A),and the embodiments of the subject invention, which utilize an extendedhull (06) that integrates the back side of the seat module (46) and siderail (05) (FIG. 4D). The comparison seen in FIGS. 4A-D shows atraditional pontoon boat with both a conventional aluminum side rail(08) and a rotationally molded seat module (09), and a separately moldedfiberglass seat module (10) (FIG. 4A). In the case of the aluminum siderail (08) and rotationally molded seat module (09), it can be seen thatthe construction method of the rotationally molded seatback keeps theseat back section narrow, as seen in FIG. 4B. The addition of the siderail (08) to hide the rough nature of the seatback (13) from the outsideof the boat requires a measurable amount of floor space that has to besubtracted from the overall interior width (W) of the boat, as seen inFIGS. 4A and 4E. The shape necessitated by separate fiberglass seatmodules (10) utilizes even more floor space than the rotationally moldedseat base (09), as illustrated in FIG. 4C.

FIG. 4E also illustrates how the pontoons of the subject invention areincorporated and formed as part of the hull design. It can be seen thatthe pontoons are essentially hollow spaces formed within the hull andthe side rails extend from the outer most sides of the port andstarboard pontoons. When the deck (20) and the hull (06) are assembled,a space (60) or hollow area is formed between the deck and the hull,such that the pontoons are substantially open to the underside of thedeck. As will be discussed below, this void (60) can be useful as astorage or access area. In FIG. 5 that the necessary width of thetraditional style separate fiberglass seat module (10) is dictated byconstruction techniques. Two factors contribute to the overall width ofa fiberglass part: draft and access. The first factor, draft, simplyrefers to the necessary angles (19) of a part that is constructed in amold, so that it can be extracted or is able to “pull out” of the mold.Generally speaking, 3′ per surface is acceptable in molding techniques,so that given the nature of the part to shrink in the mold, it will notlock it into the mold, and 3′ should allow the part to “pull out”without dragging too much of the mold release agents from the surface ofthe mold. In the case of a tall part, or a deep mold, other factors,such as, for example, heat buildup, can contribute to the necessaryamount of draft angle (19) required in order to pull parts successfullyfrom the mold. For parts that are taller, a 3′ draft multiplied over theheight of the part can create a very wide part. In the case of a seatback, it can result in a large distance (14) from the back of the seatto the forward side, which can be undesirable, as it encroaches intousable interior width.

The second contributing factor in the required distance (14) from theback of the seat to the forward side is access requirements. The natureof fiberglass construction requires an operator or machine to apply“Gelcoat” to the mold surface. Gelcoat is the exterior “paint like”colored surface of a fiberglass part that is visible to the eye. Gelcoatis typically sprayed through a spray gun (17), such as shown by way ofexample in FIG. 5, or is brushed on in limited cases. This gelcoat ismost often sprayed onto a mold in a manner and consistency that allowsit to flow freely (16), however, it cannot be applied unevenly, or toothick, or else it will later crack or become distorted. Fiberglass moldsmust also be designed correctly, in order to allow adequate airflow (16)for the gelcoat application process, as well as facilitate othermanufacturing factors. Once gelcoat is applied, a barrier coat offiberglass mat or chop, is either sprayed from a gun similar to thegelcoat gun (17)—also requiring airflow management as well (16), or itcan be laid into a mold by hand, which requires an access large enoughfor workers to carefully place the glass fibers into the shape. Fiberglass, whether hand laid, or sprayed in by a chopper gun also needs tobe manually rolled out with a glass roller (15), also shown, by way ofexample, in FIG. 5, in order to force any air between the layers outfrom the back side. After this process is complete, structuralfiberglass, most often employed in the form of woven sheets, is thenmanually manipulated into place and is also rolled out with a glassroller (15). Since the use of spray guns (17), requiements for airflowallowances (16), and the need for manual manipulation of materials byhand with a glass roller (15) requires considerable maneuvering room,production friendly fiberglass parts are usually designed with largeaccess cavities. These large access cavities are disadvantageous forseat bases, since seat bases will, ideally, be as narrow as possible inorder to allow the maximum usable interior width. Consequently,fiberglass is rarely used in pontoon boats for separately molded seatingbase modules.

Looking a FIGS. 6A and 6B, there is illustrated a comparison between atraditional pontoon boat utilizing a fiberglass helm station (11) (FIG.6A), and a pontoon boat according to the subject invention thatintegrally molds the outer surface of the helm station (27), or helmstation receiver, into the extended side rails (05) (FIG. 6B). Since thetraditional helm station (11) is generally a large wide structure, it isusually acceptable, and is most often molded out of fiberglass. A helmstation is mounted inside the side railings (08) in order to improve thelook of the traditional pontoon boat. However, due to manufacturingconstraints, the outside surface of the helm console (11) often has ameasureable amount of draft (19) in order to facilitate removal from thefiberglass mold, so there is often a measureable amount of space lost orwasted in the construction of the traditional pontoon boat.

The embodiments of the subject invention utilize a helm station (18)comprised of two pieces, with the inner portion being molded integrallyinto the deck (20), and the outer portion being integrally molded intothe extended side rails (05) of the hull (06). This allows the usablespace of the helm (18) to be at least equal to that of a traditionalpontoon boat helm (11), while allowing it to be mounted further to theside of the boat, which can maximize interior width.

In FIGS. 7A and 7B there is illustrated an improved method for buildingthe integrated side rails (05) of the fiberglass hull (06) at the sideentry step that is level with the floor (07). A side entry (30) isgenerally a passage way within the port and/or starboard side of theboat that allows passengers or objects to be easily passed into and outof the boat without having to go over the side rails. FIG. 15 providesan example of a side entry (30) formed within a side rail and hull ofthe subject invention.

As previously discussed, both the hull (06) and deck (20) will have therequired draft angles in order to allow them to be “pulled out” of theirrespective molds. Advantageously, the respective draft angles for thesecomponents do not cause interference anywhere in the construction of theboat, except for the side entry area (30). The side entry (30) of theboat has conflicting draft areas, because the side entry extends upwardfrom the flat floor level (07) of the deck (20) to the top of the deck,which is noted as style line (21). This height is over 24″ tall,however, greater or lesser heights can encounter the same draft issues.The deck (20) terminates at its lowest molded point, where excessfiberglass flanges are trimmed off. This cut line at the bottom of thedeck is called the deck trim flange (23). The hull (06) incorporates theintegral side rails (05) which extend upward and terminate at a similartrim flange called the hull trim flange (28) (seen on FIG. 8). Whenassembled, the hull trim flange (28) of the hull (06) operativelyengages with the deck trim flange (23), by slipping underneath the decktrim flange (23), so that the hull trim flange (28) sits inside aknuckle (22) molded into the deck. This is a commonly used practice, andis often referred to as a “shoebox fit”, as seen, for example in FIG.8). This is the typical method of joining a fiberglass hull to afiberglass deck.

Embodiments of the subject invention further incorporate the integrallymolded side rails (05) and side entry (30) with a flat floor (07), whichcreates construction issues usually not found in other constructionapplications. Because the hull (06) gets wider, or bows outward, closerto the top, or near the hull trim flange (28) due to the required draftangle, and the deck (20) also gets wider closer to the bottom of theboat, or towards the deck trim flange, also due to its required draftangle, the conflicting draft angles require a new method of building aboat with integrated fiberglass side rails. As seen in FIG. 7B, when thehull (06) is joined with the deck, the conflicting angles necessitatethat the hull trim flange area be manipulated by being bent or pushed,as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 7B, so that it can fit under and beoperably engaged with the deck trim flange (23).

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates one embodiment of animproved method for creating an enclosed step-down combined headcompartment and quarter berth. The subject invention allows penetrationof the floor (07), because the integrated side rails (05) in the hull(06) extend up to the deck (20) at the trim flange (23). As seen inFIGS. 8 and 10 and in FIG. 11, a side view, the deck (20) integrates anenclosure (37) from the top style line (21) inboard, in a manner to formthe enclosure (37) which is accessed from an opening (36) that can becovered with a door. The enclosure (37) utilizes the space created byintegrally molding the pontoon (40) into the hull (06) to create asufficiently large compartment that can accommodate, for example, both atoilet facility, and a quarter berth (38) that extends underneath theflat floor (07) on either side of the integral enclosure (37) after itterminates back down to the floor (07) or other integrally moldedcomponents in the deck (20). The interior of this enclosure can befinished with an additional molded head/quarter berth pan (35) that canprotect the pontoon. Alternatively, the interior of the hull (06) can befinished with traditional vinyl and carpeting or other components.

FIG. 11 provides a side view that illustrates how the head/quarter berthpan (35) can create the quarter berth (38) by extending the forwardlower enclosure wall (39) past the enclosure wall (37) where itintersects the flat floor (07) or other integrally molded seatingmodules, or components, inside the space created by the integrallymolded pontoon (40) in the hull (06). Conversely, the quarter berth (38)may also extend aft under the flat floor (07), or other integrallymolded seating modules or components, by utilizing the available spaceinside the molded pontoon (40).

Since the deck (20) can be molded with any of a variety of details,corners, and style lines, it will ideally be a very rigid part, and willideally resist flexing and bending. Consequently, it can be difficult tochange the molded shape of the deck once it is pulled from the mold.Embodiments of the subject invention provide a new method of building ahull (06) that will allow it to be sufficiently stiff underneath and atthe running surface, but is also designed to flex at a given hinge point(25), extending generally horizontally along the side rail (05), asshown, for example, in FIGS. 9, 12, 13, and 16, in order to allow theintegrated side rails (05) to flex inward to fit under and be attachedto the deck trim flange (23). Since the deck (20) is very rigid, itstrim flange (23) will also be very rigid and stiff, and will usually notgive way or flex considerably when physically joining with the hull(06).

Core structures are commonly used in boat construction to lend rigidityand stability to large areas of fiber glass or other materials. Corestructures (50) can also be used during the construction of a hull (06)of the subject invention to strengthen the side rails (05). In oneembodiment, core structure (50) is placed between layers of fiberglassor other material used in the manufacture of the hull, an example ofwhich is shown in FIG. 9. In a further embodiment, the core structure isinterrupted at the hinge point (25) so that the core structure does notcross the hinge point, which would inhibit the ability fo the hingepoint to flex. Thus, there can be a break in the core structure where itapproaches the hinge point, such as seen, by way of example in FIGS. 4E,7B, and 14. This allows the core structure to support the material, butdoes not prevent the side rails (05) from being flexed inward duringassembly of the deck (20) and hull (06).

In a specific embodiment, the trim flange (23) on the port and starboardsides extends downward to the lowest part of the flat floor (07). Thisvertical surface (24) of the trim flange will get slightly wider at thebottom of the door opening (30). The vertical trim surface (24) and flatfloor (07) will ultimately contact a point on the hull, where the hullis formed as a cut-out (12), at a location specified as (A 06) on FIGS.7 and 9. This point in the hull (A 06) will be narrower than the hulltrim flange (28), since the draft of the hull (06) dictates that it bewider towards the top. Embodiments of the subject invention provide adesign for a hull (06) with a specific flex point (25) that is locatedin a manner that it will intersect with the vertical trim flange (24) ofthe deck (20) at the height of the flat floor (07). In this manner, therigid deck (20) will join with the hull (06) at a specifically designedrigid point (25). In a further embodiment, the hull (06) is designed sothat statically, it will not fit the deck (20) due to its increasingdraft from the (A 06) point of the hull (06). However, flexing of theintegrated raised side rails (05) from the hinge point (A 06) will allowthem to bend in and the hull trim flange (28) will fit under the decktrim flange (23) and correctly sit inside the deck knuckle (22). Anexample of this is shown in FIG. 7B, where the arrows indicate the benddirection of the hull.

The subject invention provides a new method of fiberglass, or similar,construction that will allow a hull (06) with integrally molded siderails (05) to be successfully mated to a unitary deck (20) componentthat incorporates a side entry door (30) to permit access to a flatfloor (07) similar to popular aluminum pontoon boats.

I claim:
 1. A pontoon boat comprising two unitary structures wherein thestructures comprise: a deck comprising a floor and at least one otherinterior component, where at least a portion of the deck terminates in adeck trim flange; and a hull comprising at least two hollow pontoonportions and at least two side rails that extend from an outer edge ofthe pontoons sections, wherein at least a portion of the hull, includingthe two side rails, terminates in a hull trim flange, such that when thedeck and hull are assembled, the hull trim flange operatively engagesbeneath the deck trim flange to form a unified pontoon boat structurehaving a space between the deck and hull and wherein the side rail isfurther integrated as a structural part of the interior component.
 2. Apontoon boat according to claim 1, wherein the interior component is aseat and the side rail of the hull forms a structural back side of theseat when the boat is assembled.
 3. A pontoon boat according to claim 2,wherein the interior component is a helm station and the side rail ofthe hull forms at least one structural side of the helm station when theboat is assembled.
 4. A pontoon boat according to claim 3, furthercomprising a side entry comprising: two vertical trim surfaces formedwithin the deck that incorporate part of the floor of the deck betweenthem to form a lowest part of the side entry and wherein the deck trimflange extends around the two vertical trim surfaces and the floorbetween them; a cut-out in the hull that corresponds with the twovertical trim surfaces in the deck and the floor between them whereinthe hull trim flange extends around the cut-out; such that when thecut-out in the hull is aligned with the vertical trim surfaces, the hulltrim flange around the cut-out will operatively engage beneath the decktrim flange around the vertical trim surface and the lowest part of theside entry, such that the floor will overlap the hull between thevertical trim surfaces.
 5. A pontoon boat according to claim 4, whereinthe lowest part of the side entry is the widest part of the verticaltrim surfaces.
 6. A pontoon boat according to claim 5, wherein theinterior component is a head compartment comprising: a section of thedeck that extends from a top style line of the deck to the floor of thedeck to form an enclosure and wherein the side rail also forms part ofthe enclosure; and an opening within the deck section that allows accessto the enclosure, as well as to the space formed between the deck andhull; such that the head compartment incorporates the enclosed areaformed by the deck as well as at least part of the space between thedeck and the hull.
 7. A pontoon boat according to claim 6, wherein thespace between the deck and the hull accessible through the headcompartment enclosure includes the hollow pontoon.
 8. A pontoon boataccording to claim 7, wherein the hollow pontoon is further utilized asa quarter berth.
 9. A pontoon boat according to claim 8, furthercomprising a head/berth pan within the head compartment and at leastpartially covering the interior of the hollow pontoon.
 10. A pontoonboat according to claim 9, wherein the head/berth pan covers the quarterberth section of the hollow pontoon space.
 11. A pontoon boat accordingto claim 1, wherein the hull further comprises a hinge point extendinggenerally horizontally along the length of a side rail.